THE MESOAMERICAN GALLERY
The gallery introduces you to the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica, which flourished before the Spanish Conquest at the beginning of the 16th century. Major traditions represented here include those of central and western Mexico, the Gulf Coast, Oaxaca*, the highland and lowland Maya of Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and a variety of Central American cultures. These civilizations have been revealed by over a century of archaeological investigations, including many research projects sponsored by the Penn Museum. From 1931 to 1938 the Penn Museum sponsored excavations at the Maya lowland site of Piedras Negras*, in Guatemala, and in 1951 and 1953 undertook the rescue of carved Maya monuments at Caracol*, in Belize. Since the mid-20th century objects recovered by Penn Museum excavations in Mesoamerica must remain in the countries of origin, except for samples exported under permits for scientific analyses.
The gallery introduces you to the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica, which flourished before the Spanish Conquest at the beginning of the 16th century. Major traditions represented here include those of central and western Mexico, the Gulf Coast, Oaxaca, the highland and lowland Maya of Yucatan, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and a variety of Central American cultures. These civilizations have been revealed by over a century of archaeological investigations, including many research projects sponsored by the Penn Museum. From 1931 to 1938 the Penn Museum sponsored excavations at the Maya lowland site of Piedras Negras, in Guatemala, and in 1951 and 1953 undertook the rescue of carved Maya monuments at Caracol, in Belize. Since the mid-20th century objects recovered by Penn Museum excavations in Mesoamerica must remain in the countries of origin, except for samples exported under permits for scientific analyses.
